Multi-Part Sifter for De-Seeding and Sorting Plant Material

ABSTRACT

A multi-part sifter for de-seeding or sorting plant material includes an upper frame having an open top and an open bottom; a lid that covers the top of the upper frame; a screen that covers the bottom of the upper frame; a lower frame having an open top and a closed bottom; a lid latch to releasably hold the lid to the top of the upper frame; a screen latch to releasably hold the screen to the bottom of the upper frame; and a frame latch to releasably hold the bottom of the upper frame to the top of the lower frame with the screen in between the upper frame and lower frame.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/515,440, filed Oct. 15, 2014 (R011-102), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to sifters and more specifically to a multi-part sifter for de-seeding and sorting plant material.

Existing sifters are not designed to aid in scooping, sifting and separating plant parts such as, but not limited, to flowers, buds, petiole, pistols, stems, leaves, seeds, branches, plant particles and/or plant particle dust, or “shake” (referred to herein “plant material”). Usage of existing sifters to scoop, sift and sort plant material could be inefficient. Existing sifters could cause significant damage to delicate and sensitive plant and flower parts such as but not limited to flowers, buds, trichomes, pistols or any pubescent plants that may or may not be glandular.

Existing sifters are not designed for use with delicate or sensitive plant parts. Existing sifters do not allow the end user to scoop up delicate or sensitive plant materials with minimal damage to plant matter. Existing sifters may not allow the end user to sift and sort delicate and/or sensitive plant materials with minimal shaking, and therefore do not maximize the integrity of the plant material resulting in damage and degradation of plant material. Existing sifters usually incorporate a single size of mesh screen apertures which would not be adaptable to the numerous species of plants. Existing sifters are not designed to separate more desirable plant material from less desirable plant material.

Different plant and flower species have a huge difference in the size of seeds they produce. Existing sifters do not have interchangeable screens to accommodate different sizes of seed or other material to be separated out.

It would be desirable to have a specialized sifter that may minimize damage to delicate or sensitive plant parts while allowing the end user to efficiently separate more desirable plant material from less desirable plant materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a device includes an upper frame having an open top and an open bottom; a lid that covers the top of the upper frame; a screen that covers the bottom of the upper frame; a lower frame having an open top and a closed bottom; a lid latch to releasably hold the lid to the top of the upper frame; a screen latch to releasably hold the screen to the bottom of the upper frame; and a frame latch to releasably hold the bottom of the upper frame to the top of the lower frame with the screen in between the upper frame and lower frame.

In another aspect of the present invention, a device for processing plant material includes an upper frame having an open top and an open bottom; a lid that covers the top of the upper frame, the lid having a plurality of pins adapted to extend into the upper frame; a lid latch to releasably hold the lid to the top of the upper frame so the lid may be removed and reattached; a replaceable screen that covers the bottom of the upper frame, the screen having a mesh size adapted to sort the plant material; a screen latch to releasably hold the screen to the bottom of the upper frame so that the screen may be released and replaced with a second screen having a different mesh size; a lower frame having an open top and a closed bottom that form a collection bin; and a frame latch to releasably hold the bottom of the upper frame to the top of the lower frame with the screen in between the upper frame and lower frame. The plant material placed into the upper frame will be sorted and de-seeded by closing and shaking the device.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for processing plant material includes providing an upper frame having an open top and an open bottom; covering the bottom of the upper frame with a removable screen; loading the upper frame with the plant material; attaching a lid that covers the top of the upper frame; providing a lower frame having an open top and an closed bottom; attaching the bottom of the upper frame to the top of the lower frame with the screen in between the upper frame and lower frame; and shaking the upper and lower frame so that some of the plant material passes through the screen from the upper frame into the lower frame, thereby sorting the plant material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in the closed position;

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a frame latch of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, in a disassembled position;

FIG. 4 depicts the embodiment of FIG. 1 being readied for use;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in use; and

FIG. 6 depicts the embodiment of FIG. 1 after use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The preferred embodiment and other embodiments, which can be used in industry and include the best mode now known of carrying out the invention, are hereby described in detail with reference to the drawings. Further embodiments, features and advantages will become apparent from the ensuing description, or may be learned without undue experimentation. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, except where otherwise indicated. The following description of embodiments, even if phrased in terms of “the invention” or what the embodiment “is,” is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but describes the manner and process of making and using the invention. The coverage of this patent will be described in the claims. The order in which steps are listed in the claims does not necessarily indicate that the steps must be performed in that order.

Embodiments of the present invention generally provide a hand-held or portable sifter for most or all plant material including plants, flowers, buds, cannabis or herbal materials, such as flowers or flowering plants that seed. Embodiments may separate a first plant material from a second material by sifting smaller particles out and keeping larger particles. Embodiments may separate flowers from leaf, separate seed from flowers, or separate and sort out undesirable plant materials or particles of any other plant, herb, bud, flower, seed, or cannabis particles (“shake” or “catch”). The plant material to be sifted and sorted may include, e.g., a fruiting body or inflorescence of flowers and seeds such as found in cannabis. The plant material to be separated out may be less desirable than the material to be retained, e.g. leaves removed from flowers, or the material to separated may also be desirable, e.g. fertile seeds.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a manual sifter for plant material that separates a portion of the material, such as seeds, from the rest of the plant material. Embodiments may have a replaceable screen with a preselected mesh size to configure the device for a plant material having a certain size of seed or other material to be removed. Embodiments of the invention may have a lid with pointed separator elements to help break up the plant material when the device is shaken, so the material to be separated can break free and be separated or sifted toward the bottom.

In an embodiment, the holes in the mesh screen may be from 1/100 inch to 1 inch for each square grid, so that smaller plant parts such as seeds, leaf, or other undesirable plant, herb, bud, flower, or cannabis particles will be sifted out. Example materials for the body include, but are not limited to, plastic (low cost) and stainless steel (high quality). Embodiments of frames, walls, and other parts of the apparatus may also be constructed of mesh screen to increase surface areas of screen and minimize shaking, damage, and degradation to the plant material.

Embodiments of a lid may include seed separator elements that help break up plant or flower material to access seed pods, and punch out or otherwise separate the seeds contained in the seed pods. Embodiments may include pointed separation elements on an inner surface of the lid, so that when the lid is closed and the device is shaken, the plant material is forcibly thrust against the separation elements, thereby helping break up the plant material and separate the seeds. The separator elements on the lid may have generally mound shaped bases with pointed tops, such as such as cones, pyramids, or other curves having sides that taper away from the base.

Embodiments may be used so that the lid helps help break up plant or flower material to access the seed pods, while punching out seeds that are held inside seed bearing flowers or buds. This could be accomplished by loosely filling the seeded plant material in the appropriate compartment under the top lid and over the sifting screen, then closing the lid tightly and vigorously shaking until satisfied with the amount of seeds in the bottom container.

The plant material may be sorted or sifted by loosely filling the seeded plant material in the appropriate compartment under the top lid and over the sifting screen, closing the lid tightly, and vigorously shaking the entire device. The plant material will strike against the pointed separators in the lid, which will separate seeds from the rest of the plant material. The user may observe the amount of seeds in the bottom of the container to help determine when to stop shaking

Embodiments of the present invention may include a device for de-seeding or sorting plant material. Embodiments may include a lid, an upper frame, a screen, and a lower frame. The screen may be removable and interchangeable with different screen mesh sizes. The upper frame has an open top and bottom, so the lid can be used to close the top with the removable screen at the bottom. The lower frame has an open top and a closed bottom, such as a bin, so it can contain receive the material that passes through the screen and retain the sorted material at the bottom of the device. The device may “de-seed” the plant material, meaning the lid has pins or extensions that partially break-up the plant material, helping release seeds. De-seeded material may be collected or further sifted and sorted.

A user may use the device with a first screen having a mesh size selected for use on a first plant material having a first seed size. The user may remove the screen and replace it with a second screen having a different mesh size selected for a second plant material having a second seed size. The user may then use the device to separate the second-sized seeds from the second plant material.

Embodiments may include latches to hold the lid, screen, and frames together.

The latches include corresponding retaining elements on parts or sections of the device that releasably hold the sections together. A user may align two sections of the device, close the integrated latches to hold the sections together, use the device, and then disengage the latches to separate the sections. The latches may be made of strong yet pliable material, such as plastic, so that the latches may repeatedly be engaged and released.

Embodiments of a latch for holding two parts or sections of the device together may include a folding portion attached near a rim of one part. The folding portion may have a plate attached to a hinge on the part that allows the plate to rotate relative to the part, such as up and down. The hinge may be a pin hinge or simply a flexible section of plastic where the plate and folding portion connect. The plate may have a retaining extension near an end opposite from the hinge that engages with the second part to be held. The second part may have a tab that corresponds to the plate on the first portion, and the tab may have a notch that corresponds to the retaining extension on the plate. The retaining extension on the first part may be made of a strong yet pliable material that snaps into the notch to hold the latch closed, and then can be pulled out of the notch to release or open the latch. The retaining extension may include a flange that extends out from the plate and slants toward the hinge, to form a knob that, when forced, snaps into a corresponding shape in the tab on the second part.

To use the latches, the first and second parts may be vertically aligned and then rotated so that the folding portion in the lower part aligns with the tab in the upper part. The plate of the folding portion may be folded up so that it snaps into the notch in the tab. To separate the parts, the user may pull on the upper portion of the plate so that the folding portion disengages with the tab.

An embodiment of a lid may include a base portion that forms a flat lid on the top side, and a punching-side on the lower side. An embodiment of an upper frame may contain the unprocessed plant material while the device is shaken by the user. The top of the upper frame makes a seal with the lid so that the material cannot escape. The upper, exterior side of the lid is a flat circle, and the lower, interior side of the lid has conical or semi-conical extensions or pins that extend into the container. The extensions on the lower side of the lid help break up plant/flower material to access the seed pods while punching out seeds that are held inside the flowers/buds of any seed bearing flowers or buds. In an embodiment, the system may operated by loosely filling the seeded plant material in the appropriate compartment under the top lid and over the sifting screen, then closing the lid tightly back up and vigorously shaking until satisfied with the amount of seeds in the bottom container or “catch.”

An embodiment of a lid latch may have parts on the lid and on the upper frame that engage together to hold the lid on top. In an example, the top part of the lid latch (on the lid) has a triangular tab or other extension on a flexible plastic flap. The flap is attached at one end to the lid, and flap that folds against a corresponding rigid plastic receiving element on the frame. The tab snaps into the receiving element to provide a closure when urged together by the user, and pop apart to open when urged apart by the user.

An embodiment of a screen latch may have similar parts on the screen and on the upper frame that engage together to hold the screen against the bottom of the upper frame. An example may include the folding elements on outer elements (the screen and lower frame), with the receiving elements on the upper frame (where the plant material is initially stored). In an embodiment, the upper frame may have only non-moving or rigid elements for locking to the lower frame and locking to the lid, thereby providing a durable container for shaking In an embodiment, the upper frame may can be attached to a lower frame of the container to hold the shake. The lower frame and lid may include the movable latch elements.

In one embodiment, the bottom of the upper frame or canister (that will be filled with seeded material) may have screen latching elements or tabs on the rim of the screen to hold the screen directly to the canister. This is addition to the frame latches that hold the canister to the lower frame or collection bin (seed catch). This embodiment may be used without the collection bin, e.g. to change bins.

In another embodiment, there are no latching elements or locking tabs on the screen. The latching elements on the frames are enough to retain the screen in its position. In an embodiment, the screen may be retained within the lower frame, within the upper frame, or sandwiched between the frames. One or more screens may rest upon tabs within the frames, such as a row of tabs along the inner walls of the frame to support screens having different mesh sizes in a single unit.

As depicted in FIG. 1, an embodiment of a device 10 may include a lid 12, an upper frame 14, a screen 16, and a lower frame 18. Embodiments may include handles 20 on the lid 12 that may help hold the closed device for shaking Embodiments may have lid latches 40 to releasably hold the lid 12 to the top of the upper frame 14, screen latches 50 to releasably hold the screen 16 to the bottom of the upper frame 14, and frame latches 30 to releasably hold the frames 14 and 18 together with the screen 16 in-between the frames. To close the device, all the latches may be snapped shut.

As depicted in FIG. 2, an embodiment of a frame latch 30 may include a fixed frame latch element 32 on the upper frame 14, and a corresponding folding frame latch element 34 on the lower frame 18. The upper, fixed frame latch element 32 and lower, folding frame latch element 34 extend past the screen 16 and engage together to releasably hold the upper frame 14 to the lower frame 18, with the screen 16 in-between the frames and the latch elements reaching across the screen. In an embodiment, fixed frame latch element 32 has a notch 36 or other receptacle, folding frame latch element 34 may have a tab 38 or other plug, and folding frame latch element 34 may rotate relative to lower frame 18 so that the tab 38 snaps into the notch 36 to provide a closure when the frame latch 30 is pressed closed, and the tab 38 is pulled out of the notch 36 to release the closure when the frame latch 30 is pulled opened.

Similar to frame latch 30, embodiments of screen latch 50, located at the bottom of the upper frame 14, may have a folding screen latch element and a fixed screen latch element that engage together to form a similar closure. The folding screen latch element may be shorter than the folding frame latch element, because the screen latch 50 holds only the screen 16 to the upper frame 14, while the frame latch 30 must reach across the screen 16 to hold the lower frame 18 to the upper frame 14 with the screen 16 in-between. Embodiments of a lid latch 40 may also have a folding lid latch element on the lid 12 and a corresponding fixed lid latch element on the upper frame 14, similar to frame latch 30 and screen latch 50. In an embodiment, for all latches 30, 40 & 50, the fixed or nonmoving latch elements may be located on the rim of the upper frame 14, so a user may handle the upper frame without any folding elements that could flop out and interfere with handling, and the moving latch elements are on the other components that attach to the upper frame.

As depicted in FIG. 3, an embodiment of a device 10 may include the elements depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, with interchangeable screens 16, 16A and 16B. The screens may all have the same outer shape and folding screen latch elements, but may have different mesh sizes. For example, screen 16 may have a medium mesh size 56, while screen 16A has a smaller mesh size 56A and screen 16B has a larger mesh size 56B. The user may choose a mesh size and then remove or attach the appropriate screen 16, 16A or 16B, to the bottom of the upper frame 14 using the screen latches. Other embodiments may have latches that are other types of releasable closures, such as clips, screws, or any other system for locking a male part to a female part.

An embodiment of a device 10 may include a lid 12, an upper frame 14, a lower frame 18, and interchangeable screens 16, 16A and 16B. Embodiments may include handles 20 on lid 12; frame latches each with a fixed frame latch element 32 on upper frame 14 near the bottom and a corresponding folding frame latch element 34 on lower frame 18; lid latches each with a fixed lid latch element 42 on upper frame 14 near the top and a corresponding folding lid latch element 44 on lid 12; and screen latches each with a fixed screen latch element 52 on upper frame 14 near the bottom and a corresponding folding screen latch element 54 on one of screens 16, 16A, or 16B.

As depicted in FIG. 4, an embodiment of a device 10 may include a lid 12 that encloses a plant material 60. Lid 12 may include a base portion 70 that forms a seal at the top of upper frame 14. Embodiments of the seal may be non-permeable. Other embodiments of the seal may generally prevent the plant material 60 from escaping when the device is shaken by a user. Embodiments of a lid 12 may include a plurality of pins 72 on a lower side of base portion 70.

As depicted in FIG. 5, in an embodiment, when the lid 12 is closed onto the upper frame, the pins 72 extend down into the container and punch against the plant material 60 especially when the device is shaken. The pins 72 may be conical or semi-conical and may extend into the upper frame 14. In an embodiment, the device 10 may operated by loosely filling or loading the seeded plant material 60 in the upper frame 14, underneath the lid 12, and over the screen 16 and lower frame 18. The device may be shaken so that the plant material 60 is broken up and partially passes through the mesh of the screen 16 into the lower frame 18 or catch container. The pins 72 help break up the plant material 60 to provide partially de-seeded material 62 in the upper frame. De-seeded material 62 may pass through the mesh of the screen 16 to provide sorted material 64 in the lower frame 18.

As depicted in FIG. 6, in an embodiment, the parts may be disassembled after processing. De-seeded material 62 or partially broken up material may be collected from the screen 16, and sorted material 64, possibly including seeds and/or other sifted plant material, may be collected from the lower frame 18. 

1. A device comprising: an upper frame having an open top and an open bottom; a lid that covers and closes the top of the upper frame; a mesh screen that covers the bottom of the upper frame; a lower frame having an open top and a closed bottom; a lid latch to releasably hold the lid to the top of the upper frame; and a frame latch to releasably hold the bottom of the upper frame to the top of the lower frame with the screen in between the upper frame and lower frame.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein: the lid latch includes a fixed lid latch element near the top of the upper frame and a corresponding folding lid latch element on the lid, aligned so that a tab on the folding lid latch element engages with a notch in the fixed lid latch element to form a releasable closure.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein: the frame latch includes a fixed frame latch element near the bottom of the upper frame and a corresponding folding frame latch element near the top of the lower frame, aligned so that a tab on the folding frame latch element engages with a notch in the fixed frame latch element to form a releasable closure.
 4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a screen latch to releasably hold the screen to the bottom of the upper frame.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein: the screen latch includes a fixed screen latch element near the bottom of the upper frame and a corresponding folding screen latch element on the screen, aligned so that a tab on the folding screen latch element engages with a notch in the fixed screen latch element to form a releasable closure.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the lid further includes a handle.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the lid further includes a plurality of pins that extend into the upper frame.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the upper frame is a cylinder having a diameter, the lower frame is a bin with a round top having the same diameter, the lid includes a round base plate with the same diameter, and the screen has an outer round edge with the same diameter.
 9. The device of claim 1, further comprising: a second screen adapted to cover the bottom of the upper frame; and the screen has a first mesh size, the second screen has a second mesh size, and the first size is different from the second mesh size; wherein the screen can be removed and replaced by the second screen so that the device is configurable for differently-sized material.
 10. A device for processing plant material, comprising: an upper frame having an open top and an open bottom; a lid that covers and closes the top of the upper frame, the lid having a plurality of pins adapted to extend into the upper frame; a lid latch to releasably hold the lid to the top of the upper frame so the lid may be removed and reattached; a replaceable mesh screen that covers the bottom of the upper frame, the screen having a mesh size adapted to sort the plant material; a screen latch to releasably hold the screen to the bottom of the upper frame so that the screen may be released and replaced with a second screen having a different mesh size; a lower frame having an open top and a closed bottom that form a collection bin; and a frame latch to releasably hold the bottom of the upper frame to the top of the lower frame with the screen in between the upper frame and lower frame; wherein plant material placed into the upper frame will be sorted and de-seeded by closing and shaking the device.
 11. A method for processing plant material, comprising: providing an upper frame having an open top and an open bottom; covering and closing the bottom of the upper frame with a removable mesh screen; loading the upper frame with the plant material; attaching a lid that covers the top of the upper frame; providing a lower frame having an open top and an closed bottom; attaching the bottom of the upper frame to the top of the lower frame with the screen in between the upper frame and lower frame; and shaking the upper and lower frame so that some of the plant material passes through the screen from the upper frame into the lower frame, thereby sorting the plant material.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: selecting a mesh size appropriate for sorting the plant material; providing a removable screen having the selected mesh size; and attaching the removable screen to the bottom of the upper frame.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: releasably holding the lid to the top of the upper frame with a plurality of lid latches; releasably holding the screen to the bottom of the upper frame with a plurality of screen latches; and releasably holding the lower frame to the bottom of the upper frame with a plurality of frame latches.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: providing a lid having a plurality of pins that extend into the lower frame; and shaking the upper frame, lower frame, and lid so that the pins punch into some of the plant material, thereby helping de-seed the plant material. 